I was so happy to be able to go home for Christmas. I was welcomed by over 2 feet of beautiful snow - which, happily, allowed for many fun winter "sports" like sledding (with Mom in the photo), snowshoeing and skiing. I also got to see my brothers and sister and my sister's family. Her adorable little girls are growing up so fast! I saw a bunch of old friends from Boulder too and caught up on all the hometown gossip. What a great (if short) break from bphil exams.
Mom and Dad came for the weekend. I warned them it would be hectic: They met some of my professors, enjoyed a Balliol exchange dinner, they cycled with me to the stables, watched a soccer game, came to the beginning of a Holywell 'Hillbilly' bop, and got to walk through Christ Church meadow and see the halls, chapels and pubs around Oxford. The timing worked out well and I was so glad they could visit. They are the best and most supportive parents anyone could ever have and it was wonderful to be able to share my life at Oxford with them.
This weekend was the 2006 Oxford Graduate Philosophy Conference. As per usual, I met some really fun philosophers from around the world and talked philosophy into the wee hours.
Meghan and I invited John and Frank to a Balliol Exchange Dinner. Here they are, having just learned Balliol's toast: "To the tranquil consciousness of effortless superiority." These events are really fun since you get to dress up and have a fancy-schmancy dinner in hall. True Oxford pretentiousness.
After Scotland, we flew to Oslo, where we enjoyed some Norwegian licorice, the young and hip bar scene (complete with Norwegian Fatøl beer), and the fact that all the Norwegians seemed to speak perfect, fluent English! Then, it was off to Hardangervidda National Park for five days of backpacking through some of the most beautiful, desolate country I've ever seen. It rained throughout the second day, which really made us appreciate the good weather for the remainder of the trip. In the park, we met a guide who said "there is no bad weather - only bad clothing!" which I will definitely remember the next time I am so far north. In fact, we were so far north that it only got dark for a couple of hours each night! After hiking, we took a train to Bergen where our exploration of the city included a Ferris wheel, a leper museum, a traditional Norwegian dancing show, several pubs, an outdoor market (with caviar, fish and tons of tourist trinkets) and bizarre, communist-style buildings blighting the otherwise beautiful city. Then, we took a ferry through the fjords which was a great way to see how the cliffs rise out of the sea. That dropped us off in a little town whose only point of existence seemed to be to herd tourists onto a train that went up a steep canyon - the guides were keen to emphasize that it was the steepest railroad in all of Norway. At any rate, we ended up at the top of the canyon in a big basin, surrounded by spectacular peaks with eight hours to kill so we started hiking. We made it to the top of one of the peaks in time to see the sun just over the horizon, slowly making its way down. Then we took the night train back to Oslo for Jay's flight back and I waited another day in Oslo - which turned into two when I slept through my flight (at the gate!). We didn't make it as far north as the arctic circle, which has been one of my lifelong goals, but that's really just a great excuse to go back! View more photos.
Jay, one of my best friends, had leave from the army to travel, so we decided to go to Scotland and then Norway. It was a much needed break for me to get away from Oxford, and I got a bit carried away and ended up returning to Boulder for a while as well. Jay and I traveled up the west coast of Scotland to see the Hadrian Wall, castles, the Isle of Skye, Loch Ness and many Scottish towns. We climbed Ben Nevis, tasted some good Scottish whiskey and were blessed with (geographically uncharacteristically) great weather. The Highlands were my favorite, followed closely by the stunning Isle of Skye. My favorite city was Inverness where we listened to a genuine Scottish band with bagpipes and all. View more photos.
Meghan, awesome philosopher friend, and I took a week and a half to travel to where it all (i.e. philosophy) began. My personal highlight: we stood where Socrates, Aristotle and Plato discussed and argued and taught. Our tour went from London to Venice to Patra to Athens to Santorini to Athens to Olympia to Patra to Venice to London. It was a crazy amount of traveling, but enough to give us a feel for all of these places.
